Modes · Locrian
The Locrian mode
Unstable, unresolved, eerie. Locrian has both a ♭2 and a ♭5. The ♭5 makes its home chord diminished, so it never quite feels like home: it's the darkest and least-used of the modes. Hear it over its own chords, in any key.
Jam: start the loop, then play the computer keys A S D F G H J K L: each one is the next note of the scale, so nothing you play is wrong. Or click the lit keys.Jam: start the loop and tap the lit keys. They’re all in the scale, so nothing you play is wrong.
The notes: 1 ♭2 ♭3 4 ♭5 ♭6 ♭7
B Locrian is B C D E F G A: B to B on the white keys, the notes of C major. Its colour comes from the C and F, lit in the tool.
Its home chord is half-diminished: Bm7♭5 in B Locrian.
Where you hear it
Whole pieces in Locrian are rare. You'll mostly meet it in jazz, as the scale over a half-diminished chord (Bm7♭5 in B Locrian, the ii chord of a minor ii – V – i), and in some metal.
Its neighbours
From brightest to darkest, the modes go Lydian, Ionian, Mixolydian, Dorian, Aeolian, Phrygian, Locrian. Locrian sits at the dark end. Compare them all from the same note on the modes page.
Locrian in every key
| Scale | Notes | Same notes as |
|---|---|---|
| C Locrian | C – D♭ – E♭ – F – G♭ – A♭ – B♭ | D♭ major |
| C♯ Locrian | C♯ – D – E – F♯ – G – A – B | D major |
| D Locrian | D – E♭ – F – G – A♭ – B♭ – C | E♭ major |
| D♯ Locrian | D♯ – E – F♯ – G♯ – A – B – C♯ | E major |
| E Locrian | E – F – G – A – B♭ – C – D | F major |
| F Locrian | F – G♭ – A♭ – B♭ – C♭ – D♭ – E♭ | G♭ major |
| F♯ Locrian | F♯ – G – A – B – C – D – E | G major |
| G Locrian | G – A♭ – B♭ – C – D♭ – E♭ – F | A♭ major |
| G♯ Locrian | G♯ – A – B – C♯ – D – E – F♯ | A major |
| A Locrian | A – B♭ – C – D – E♭ – F – G | B♭ major |
| A♯ Locrian | A♯ – B – C♯ – D♯ – E – F♯ – G♯ | B major |
| B Locrian | B – C – D – E – F – G – A | C major |
Exploring modes on a real piano? Ivory listens to you play and tells you what's off: a note that's missing, a hand that lands late, a rhythm that drifts. Then it shows you how it should go.
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Questions people ask
What are the notes of B Locrian?
B, C, D, E, F, G, A: the white keys from B to B, the notes of C major.
What is the formula for the Locrian mode?
1, ♭2, ♭3, 4, ♭5, ♭6, ♭7. Locrian has both a ♭2 and a ♭5.
What does the Locrian mode sound like?
Unstable, unresolved, eerie. Its home chord is half-diminished: Bm7♭5 in B Locrian.
How do I find Locrian in any key?
Start the major scale on its 7th note. Or play the natural minor scale from your root and lower the 2nd and the 5th. The table on this page has all twelve.